Trindade Petrel off Cape Hatteras

Trindade Petrel Pterodroma arminjoniana is a rare annual visitor to the Gulf Stream off the southeastern United States, so we felt very fortunate to encounter this individual some 25 miles off of Cape Hatteras on August 8, 2010. We were on a pelagic birding trip run by Brian Patteson, so many thanks go to Brian and crew for finding this excellent bird.

This map shows the location where we encountered this bird (34.83068320 N, 75.27767220 W), just beyond the edge of the Continental Shelf. The water temperature in the Gulf Stream was approximately 86 degrees Fahrenheit!

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Trindade Petrel nests in the South Atlantic on Trindade and Martim Vaz archipelago, 1200 km off the coast of Brazil. Population estimates vary wildly, from 1,100 to 15,000 individuals. BirdLife International considers the conservation status of Trindade Petrel to be Vulnerable, as the breeding population is susceptible to predation and disturbance by introduced mammals such as pigs, cats and goats. Fortunately, the Brazilian Navy has eradicated these species from Trindade and the petrels now enjoy full protection under Brazilian law.

Trindade Petrel is a polychromatic species, with light, dark and intermediate morphs occurring. This is a dark morph. Light morphs have pale underparts. Note the extensive whitish markings on the underwing, especially on the primaries and primary coverts.

The fast and impetuous dynamic soaring flight style of Pterodroma petrels make them a challenge to photograph, even when they linger around the boat for a minute or two as this bird did. All photos were taken with a Nikon D300s and Nikkor 300mm f2.8 with 1.4x converter.

Hummingbird Clearwing

With temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday, we ignored our better judgment and visited the National Arboretum in D.C., in search of butterflies to photograph. At the Washington Youth Garden, the flowers were attracting many Eastern Tiger Swallowtails Papilio glaucus, but the most interesting bug was not a butterfly at all!  This Hummingbird Clearwing Hemaris thysbe, a sphingid moth, was feeding low to the ground, moving from flower to flower without alighting - just like a hummingbird! I struggled to get this flight shot, as I couldn’t focus the macro lens quickly enough for this moving target.

After following it between the flowers for a few minutes, I noticed that between feeding forays, the clearwing would retreat deep into the dark undergrowth and rest for a while on some thick plant stems, close to the ground. I was able to get this shot by getting down on my hands and knees and angling the flash appropriately.

I’ve occasionally seen the related Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum in Europe, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen a diurnal-flying sphingid like this in North America. Four species of Hemaris clearwing are found in North America. The best information I could find on distinguishing them is on this very informative site, the Butterflies and Moths of North America. Based on the information provided there, and considering the geographic ranges of the four species, this would appear to be Hemaris thysbe, the Hummingbird Clearwing.

Flickr Tags: Hemaris thysbe,Hummingbird Clearwing,Sphingidae,wildlife,photography,National Arboretum

A White-faced Ibis in Virginia

White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi is rare or accidental in the Mid-Atlantic states, so I was especially pleased to find this adult White-faced (above, right) amongst a small group of Glossy Ibis P. falcinellus at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia, on July 4, 2010. I must admit, I think this was the first time I’d seen these two species side by side, so I enjoyed the opportunity to study the subtly different field marks that distinguish them. White-faced and Glossy Ibis are very similar, but adults can be separated reliably by the color of the eyes and facial skin:

In this crop from the first image, note the red iris and pink facial skin of the White-faced Ibis. Glossy Ibis has dark brown eyes. The facial skin of Glossy Ibis is also dark, with whitish or powdery blue lines (see the bird on the left in the first image). Note also the generally brighter chestnut coloration of the White-faced, as well as the reddish legs.

White-faced also has more extensive white at the base of the bill, as can be seen in the above image.

Here is another image of the White-faced (center), with two Glossies, again illustrating the difference in eye and facial skin coloration.

In this image, the wings of the White-faced (front right) are noticeably bronzy green, not blue-green as in Glossy.

This shot of the White-faced in flight again nicely illustrates both the bronzy-green wings and the pink facial skin and red eyes. This bird, and the Glossies were foraging in one of the few remaining pools of water along the north side of Snow Goose Pool, right alongside the auto loop.

Ambush bug tries to take down a butterfly

I was trying to photograph this Least Skipper Ancyloxypha numitor the other day, when it was attacked by what I believe was a jagged ambush bug Phymata sp. The bug is visible in this photo, moments before it made its move:

See it, just below the butterfly’s head?  The bug, a nymphal stage I believe, was perfectly camouflaged to look like the flowers at which the butterfly was nectaring. I hadn’t noticed the bug in the frame when I took the photo above, which was taken moments before the bug attacked. Seconds later, the butterfly became frantic, as if it was trying to leave the flower but couldn’t. It wasn’t until I looked at the photos afterwards that I could see the bug had seized the butterfly by the proboscis!:

The struggle continued for a minute or so, the butterfly trying to fly away but unable to do so. There were occasional pauses in the tug-of-war, as the butterfly seemed to gather its strength for another attempt to break free:

Eventually, the butterfly did escape and appeared to be unharmed, as it returned to feed on another nearby flowerhead a few minutes later. Or maybe the ambush bug realized it had bitten off more than it could chew, with a butterfly five times its size?!

Flickr Tags: ambush bug,Least Skipper

A new template

The new Blogger templates provide control over blog post width. Here’s a test to see whether the new template can accommodate a medium-sized (500 px wide) image from Flickr…

Spawning Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs

Every year, thousands of Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs Limulus polyphemus take advantage of the Spring high tides to haul themselves up onto the beaches of the Delaware Bay to spawn. These crabs were photographed at high tide this last weekend, by the light of the full moon, as they swarmed onto a Delaware beach (click through for larger versions). These prehistoric-looking creatures look like trilobites emerging from the primordial soup!:

Here’s what these crabs look like during daylight hours:

Some beaches are briefly covered by thousands of crabs:

The abundance of crab eggs in the sand attracts flocks of migrant shorebirds, like these Semipalmated Sandpipers Calidris pusilla, which pause to refuel on their journey north to their breeding grounds:

Other birds, such as gulls, also take advantage of the abundant food supply. Here, this Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis is devouring a clump of eggs it found amongst the spawning crabs:

The crabs, and the other wildlife they attract, make for quite a spectacle!

Click through for larger versions of all these images.

Flickr Tags: Atlantic Horseshoe Crab,Limulus polyphemus,Semipalmated Sandpiper,Ring-billed Gull,wildlife,photography

Raptors of the Alentejo

Eurasian Griffon Gyps fulvus, Beja, Portugal 2010-05-17

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours on the plains of the Alentejo in southern Portugal. Our main desire was to find bustards (which we did – more later!), but the unexpected highlight was the diversity of raptors we also encountered. Here’s a quick smattering of photos:

Eurasian Griffon Gyps fulvus, Beja, Portugal 2010-05-17

Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus, Beja, Portugal 2010-05-17

While we encountered many griffons, this was the only ‘Black Vulture’ we saw. In fact, I’m not sure how common a sight this species is here – the Iberian population is mostly centered further east, in Spain. In my opinion, the Old World vultures have the New World beat – these things are magnificent… …and HUGE.

Male Montagu’s Harriers Circus pygargus, Beja, Portugal, May 2010. An elegant and beautiful harrier!

Black Kite Milvus migrans, Beja, Portugal 2010-05-21. A common sight throughout much of Europe.

Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus, Beja, Portugal 2010-05-17. One of the smaller eagles, but very impressive nonetheless.

Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni, female, Mertola, Portugal 2010-05-17. We encountered numerous Eurasian Kestrels F. tinnunculus on the plains, but this was the only Lesser we saw – in the town of Mertola, where a colony has traditionally nested in the walls of the hilltop castle. This bird appeared to be coming in to a nest in the castle walls, but where was the rest of the colony? Females of the two kestrel species are difficult to separate, and I wasn’t sure about the identification of this one until I had a chance to examine the photos later. However, this and other images clearly show the diagnostic wing formula of naumanni, with P10 significantly longer than P7.  Other features consistent with Lesser include the relatively unmarked, whitish bases to the primaries, contrasting with the well-marked underwing coverts, and the diffuse dusky wingtip. Click through for larger versions of all these images.

Flickr Tags: Birds,wildlife,photography,Portugal,Alentejo,raptors

Spring shorebird migration

Shorebird diversity is increasing as migrants move north through the Middle Atlantic states. Here’s a selection from this past weekend, May 1st and 2nd (click through for larger images):

White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis, Maryland 05-01-2010

White-rumped Sandpiper is an extreme long-distance migrant, breeding in the high Arctic and wintering in southern South America. Distinguishing features include the very long wings, with the tips of the primaries extending beyond the tip of the tail at rest (shared only with Baird’s Sandpiper C. bairdii – also a long-distance migrant), and the dark markings on the flanks.

Pectoral Sandpiper C. melanotos (left) with Dunlin C. alpina, partly hidden on the right, Maryland 05-01-2010

Another long-distance migrant, returning to the Arctic from winter quarters in South America. Note the sharply defined band of breast streaking and yellowish legs.

Semipalmated Sandpiper C. pusilla (left), with Dunlin, Maryland 05-01-2010

An Arctic breeder that winters in Central and northern South America. Small and somewhat nondescript, note the short, blunt-tipped and deep-based bill, generally gray-toned upperparts and lack of much streaking on the breast.

Least Sandpiper C. minutilla, Maryland 05-01-2010

Breeds further south and winters further north (into the southern U.S.) than the other species above. Very small, note the brownish tone of the upperparts, delicate fine-tipped bill, yellowish legs and heavily marked breast.

Dunlin C. alpina, Maryland 05-01-2010

The Dunlins that winter on the East Coast belong to the subspecies hudsonia, which breeds around Hudson Bay. The bird on the left shows the typical underpart pattern of hudsonia, where the breast streaking abuts the black belly patch, with no intervening unmarked white area. Also note the very long bill – hudsonia and pacifica are the longest-billed subspecies of Dunlin.

Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus, Maryland 05-01-2010

Best distinguished from Long-billed Dowitcher L. scolopaceus by call. Both nominate griseus of eastern Canada and hendersoni of central Canada are to be expected in the eastern U.S.

Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes, Maryland 05-01-2010

Winters on the East Coast, breeds in central and western Canada. Best distinguished from Greater Yellowlegs T. melanoleuca by structure and voice. Note the light build and delicate, relatively short bill. The underparts are densely barred and upperparts heavily spotted breeding plumage.

Two Greater Yellowlegs T. melanoleuca, Maryland 05-01-2010

Similar distribution to Lesser Yellowlegs, but breeds further east. Note the longer bill, slightly upturned and with a pale base. Larger, lankier and heavier overall.

Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia, Delaware 05-02—2010

Winters from the southern U.S. southwards. Unmistakable breeding plumage.

Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata, Maryland 05-02-2010

Beautiful cryptic patterning. Winters in the Middle Atlantic states, breeds further north.

An obliging Virginia Rail

Virginia Rail Rallus limicola, Maryland, 05-01-2010

Rails and crakes are mostly shy and retiring, so it was a real treat to get such great views of this Virginia Rail last weekend at Truitt’s Landing on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Virginia Rail Rallus limicola, Maryland, 05-01-2010

From calls I heard up and down the marsh, I reckon there were at least another three much less cooperative Virginia’s present. I also heard and glimpsed two King Rails R. elegans and a single Sora Porzana carolina at this same location. No photos of these latter two species, though – that would have been ridiculously lucky! Here are a couple more of the same Virginia Rail:

Flickr Tags: Virginia Rail,Rallus limicola,Rallidae,birds,photography,wildlife

A busy pair of Prothonotary Warblers

Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea is one of only two North American warbler species to nest in cavities (Lucy’s Warbler Vermivora luciae is the other). I photographed this female bringing nesting material (moss, in this case) to a nest cavity in the Pokomoke Swamp on the Delmarva Peninsula this last weekend, May 2nd (click through for larger versions):

The male of the pair was nearby, seemingly keeping a watchful eye, occasionally singing and contributing to the delivery of nest material. Then, after the female came back to the nest hole, he followed her into the cavity and both disappeared inside! Here’s a photo of him peeking out. She’s in there too, somewhere!

Both remained out of sight for several minutes. Eventually, the male emerged and began singing from the nest opening:

Not wanting to disturb their nesting activities any further, I left them in peace, the female still out of sight inside the tree hole. I thought it was interesting that the male sang from the nest entrance. I thought advertising behavior usually occurred away from the immediate vicinity of the nest, so as not to draw attention to it.

Other warblers typical of the forests of the Middle Atlantic and Southeastern U.S. were also in the area. Here are some photos taken in the same general vicinity:

Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorum

Kentucky Warbler Oporornis formosus

Louisiana Waterthrush Seiurus motacilla